Automatic traffic signal



WLTNESSE INVENTOR Y l EF/'asya/f,

May 27, 1924. v 1,495,571

5 P. BosHNYAK AUTOMATIC TRAFFIC SIGNAL Filed Dfec. 11 1923 ATTORNEYSFatented May 27, 1924.

STATES,g

SEBASTYEN PAUL BOSI-INYAK, OF ROCHESTER, 1I[I-.`N"NElSOTA.v f

AUTOMATIC TRAFFIC SIGNAL.

Application led'December 11, 1923. Serial No. 680,015.

To allwohom t may concern:

Beit known that I, SEBAsTYEN PAUL BOSHNYAK, a citizen ofthe UnitedStates, and resident of Rochester, in the county of l Olmsted andvStateV of Minnesota, have inventedl certain new and useful Improvementsinl Automatic Trai'c Signals, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relatesv to improvements in signals andv it consists' ofthe constructions,

combinations and arrangements herein described' and claimed;

Anobject of the invention isy to provide a signal adapted particularlyfor use in regu- 'w latingA traiic on streets, one ofthe purposes of theinvention being to operate the signal automatically and thereby dispensewith the service of' anV officer.

A furtherobject of the invention is tofpro Videan automatic'traffic7signal in which two pairsfof semaphores controlling traiiic alongstreets at right angles are-raised and lowered' alternately. f

Other objects andadvantageswill appear in the following specificationreference beingv had tothe accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is anelevation of the improved automatic trafic signal.

`Figure 2 is al sectional view yillustrating '50 theinterior operatingmechanism.

Figure?) isa detail elevation of the operatingv cam.

Inv carrying' out the invention provision is made of'a hollow case 1 ofcast viron or any electric motor 2 which isV operated by current fromany availablel source.

9 over'that of the motor shaft, so that thev shaft 9 revolves at asufficientlylow rate v to properly serve the needl of the signal.

A pair ofcams l1'. and 12 on the shaft 9 cause the operation of pairs ofsemaphore arms 13 and 14. The arms" 13 are now up while the arms 14 aredown.

It is to be observed in Figure 3 that the cams are substantially 180"-apart and are other suitable material, containing a. smallV v This motoris bolted at. 3 to the floor 4 of the signal, and' thereforecounterbalanced. This results in the uniform motion of the shaft 9.

This operation of the semaphore arms is performed by means of a tube 15and a rod 16, the one being slidable within the other. The tube and rodrespectively terminate in yokes 17y andl '18 at the bottom to reacharound the cams 11 and' 12 and carry rollers 19 and 20 upon which thecams may ride. Each yoke is slotted at 21 and 22 (Fig. 3) to admit theshaft 9 which extends through. The pins 23 lupon which the rollers aremounted secure the' ends of the yokes together and keep themfromspreading.

The upper ends of the tube 15 and rod 16 respectively terminate in heads24 and 25 to the sides of .which actuating bars 26 and 27 are pivoted.The tube 15 and rod 16 pass up through a hollow standard 28 which4 islmounted onthe case 1 andjmay be a part thereof. This standard terminatesin a hous# ing 29 in which the head 24, etc. works to actuate thesemaphore arms.

Shafts BOand. 31, provided in pairs, furnish the pivotal supports forthe pairs of semaphoresl. and 14. These shafts`are suitably fixed in thehousing 29. The inner ends of the semaphores extend beyond the pivotalshaft sufficiently to furnish cranks 32 (Fig. 2) with which the upperends of the various actuating bars are connected. The housing 29 issuitably slotted` at 33 andl 34 to make room for the semaphore arms whenthey are depressed as inthe case ofv the arms 14.

The operation may be readily understood from the foregoing description.The signals.v will be stationed somewhere approximating the center ofintersecting streets, takingthe place of the traiiic officer usuallyemployed. Electric current is furnished-to the motor 2 from lanyconvenient and available source.` Attention may be given to theoperating mechanism in the case 1 by opening the door 35 (Fig. 1).I

It is to be observed that the cams 11 and 12 on the counter shaft 9 arestationed 18()o apart. The cam 11 is now `down and hasconsequentlypulled down on the tube 15 so that' the semaphores 13 areextended into the position stopping traffic along one' of theintersecting streets. y The other street is'open as indicated by theposition of the other Lpair of semaphores 14. As soon as the shaft 9 hasrevolved sufficiently the roller 19' will ride down one of theinclinesof the cam 11 and the roller 2O will ride up one of the inclinesof the other cam 12 causing a reversal of the position of the two pairsof semaphore arms. The arms 14 will then be extended and the arms 13depressed. The actuating bars 26 and 27 of the respective arms aresuspended from the inner crank ends thereof, but inasmuch as the lowerextremities of the tube 15 and rod 16 are slotted at 21 and 22, toreceive the shaft 9 ample guidance is furnished therefor so that thereis no undue looseness in the parts. The operation of the mechanism inthe case 1 will be so timed that there will be sufficient time betweenthe operation of alternate pairs of semaphore arms to permit the propermovement and dispersion of traffic along the intersecting streets atwhich the signal is stationed. The globe 36 at the summit of the signalmay be and preferably is illuminated so as to mark the position of thesignal at night. The light from this globe may be powerful enough toilluminate the semaphores so as to show their position.

Vhile the construction and arrangement of the improved automatic traflicsignal as herein described and claimed is that of a generally preferredform, obviously modications and changes may be made without departingfrom the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims.

Having thus described-the invention, what I claim is:

1. A traflic signal comprising a case sur-A mounted by a standard and ahousing, pairs of semaphores pivoted in said housing but extensibletherefrom at right angles to each other, a tube extending from the caseto the housing having a head, actuating bars connecting the semaphoresof one pair with said head, a rod slidable in the tube also having ahead, actuating bars connecting said head with the semaphores of theother pair, a slotted yoke carried by the tube and rod respectively andsituated in the case, a counter shaft passing through the slots andhaving bearing in the case, cams carried by the shaft within the yokesand disposed-opposite each other, a roller carried by each yoke againstwhich the respective cam rides, a pin by which each roller is mounted inthe respective yokes, said pins holding the ends of the yoke together,and driving means for the countershaft including' a worm gear carriedthereby, a motor, and a train of gearing between the worm gear and saidmotor.

2. A traffic signal comprising a case surmounted by a standard and ahousing, pairs of semaphores pivoted in the housing and eXtensibletherefrom at right angles to each other, a pair of heads having meansoining them to each pair of semaphores, a tube and a rod carrying therespective heads, one being slidabl e within the other and both eX-tending through the standard into the case, a counter shaft, means fordriving the counter shaft, a pair of cams carried by the shaft oppositeto each other, and a roller carried by the tube and rod respectivelyengaged by the respective cams and moving the pairs of semaphores toextended and depressed position alternately.

3. A trafiic signal including two pairs of semaphores situated at rightangles to each other, means upon which the semaphores are individuallypivoted, the ends thereof terminating in cranks beyond the pivots, atube and a rod for actuating the respective pairs each having a head,the rod being slidable within the tube, means for reciprocating the tubeand rod to depress said pairs of semaphores alternately, and actuatingbars joining the heads of the tube and rod respectively with pairs ofsemaphores at said cranks, the actuating bars of the rods being shorterthan those of the tubes to provide room between the two for saidreciprocation.

4t. In a traffic signal, a pairof pivoted semaphore arms, an actuatingbar connected with each, a head with which the opposite ends of saidbars have common connection, means carrying the head terminating in aslotted yoke, a shaft passing through the slot of the yoke serving toguide the yoke and said means during reciprocation, a cam carried by theshaft, means including a roller carried by the yoke and engaged by thecam, to reciprocate theyoke and its carried parts and means to drive theshaft.

5. In a traffic signal, pairs of semaphore arms at right angles to eachother, means upon which they are pivotally mounted, actuating bars eachconnected at one end to each of the semaphore arms, a pair of heads witheach of which the pairs of bars have common connection at their oppositeends, reciprocable means carrying the individual heads terminating inslotted yokes, a shaft passing through the slots keeping the yokes andthe means in alignment during reciprocation, rollers carried bytheyokes, a pair of cams on the shaft, one for each roller, said cams beingin counterbalancing position so that the motion of the shaft may beuniform, and means to drive the shaft.

6. In a traffic signal, two pairs of pivoted semaphore arms, actuatingbars connected with each arm, actuating means including telescopicmembers each carrying a head with which the pairs of bars haveconnection, and means to alternately reciprocate said telescopic membersincluding a yoke carried by each member, means including a rollercarried by each yoke, a pair of eccentrics bearing against the rollersto depress said members, a common shaft carrying said pair ofeccentrics, and means for rotating the shaft.

SEBASTYEN PAUL BGSHNYAK.

